What would a Republican-led palace coup be without the involvement of self-admitted dirty trickster Roger J. Stone Jr.?

According to The New York Times, Stone, who learned to play political hardball on the 1972 Richard Nixon election campaign, at least knew in advance about the Republican’s retaking of the New York Senate last week.

In addition, a judge is to rule today whether the coup was legitimate in the first place.

[ . . . ]

Stone was an adviser to Golisano on his unsuccessful 2002 gubernatorial campaign, Golisano’s third attempt to win that office.

Stone’s connection to the Senate upheaval may come through billionaire B. Thomas Golisano, the driving force behind the takeover.

[ etc. ]

Stone has also had a connection to the Senate, as he once served as an adviser to Republican Joseph L. Bruno, then the senate majority leader.

Stone resigned from that position in 2007 after he was accused of leaving a threatening voice message at the office of Spitzer’s father. Stone denied the accusations.

Bruno resigned from the Senate last year. This January, a federal grand jury indicted him on charges of concealing work he did for labor unions and private companies that did business with the state.

The french president Nicolas Sarkozy called on Monday 15 June, Geneva strengthening the role of the International Labor Organization with respect to major financial institutions like the International Monetary Fund (IMF), World Bank (WB) and the Organization World Trade Organization (WTO). “It is necessary that the ILO can have something to say to the WTO, IMF and World Bank,” said Nicolas Sarkozy, speaking during a mini – Jobs Summit organized by the ILO. Le chef de l’Etat a défendu devant les 183 membres de l’organisation une “révolution” qui permettrait de rendre obligatoires les normes votées par l’OIT. “Une norme qui n’est pas obligatoire n’est pas une norme, c’est comme une feuille qui s’envole dans le vent” , at-il insisté sous une nuée d’applaudissements. The head of state has defended before the 183 members of the organization a “revolution” that would make mandatory the standards adopted by the ILO. “A standard which is not required is not a standard, c It is like a leaf that flies in the wind, “he insisted in a cloud of applause.

xin_14206061516279532205610.jpg
xin_15206061516270781644911.jpg
Airflo APM2O Lionceau airplane is moved to the static exhibition area one day before the opening of the 48th Paris Air Show at the Le Bourget airport near Paris June 14, 2009. The Paris Air Show opens Monday under a morose, uneasy cloud.(Xinhua/Reuters Photo)

xin_322060615155159319751.jpg
A group of Mexicans are unfurling a pair of pants which is 60.1 meters long on Sunday in an effort to break the Guinness World Record for longest pants. (Xinhua/AFP Photo)

Russian President Dmitry Medvedev questioned the dollar’s future earlier this month, saying it isn’t “in a spectacular position, let’s be frank, and its prospects cause various questions.” Alexei Ulyukayev, first deputy chairman of the bank, said June 10 that some reserves may be moved into bonds issued by the International Monetary Fund.

Still, Russian Finance Minister Alexei Kudrin said in an interview two days ago that the dollar is in “good shape,” and that “it’s too early to speak of an alternative” to the U.S. currency.

On a visit to Beijing on June 2, U.S. Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner said there will be enough demand for record sales of U.S. debt. In March, Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao called on the U.S. “to guarantee the safety of China’s assets.” China’s central bank governor, Zhou Xiaochuan, has proposed the eventual creation of a new, supranational currency.

[ . . . ]

The Congressional Budget Office projects the federal budget shortfall will reach a record $1.85 trillion this year, with the gap exceeding $600 billion through the year 2019.

June 15 (Bloomberg) — International purchases of American financial assets grew more slowly in April as China, Japan and Russia pared demand for Treasuries, underscoring the danger of U.S. reliance on foreigners to finance its fiscal deficit.